Support



P. D. BECKER Oct. 28, 1958 SUPPORT Filed June 14, 1955 I l/f/ L INVENTORI Pmup D. BECKER,

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent( SUPPORT Philip D. Becker, Hingham, Mass., assignor to United- Carr Fastener Corporation, Boston, Mass., 2 corporation of Delaware Application June 14, 1955, Serial No. 515,361

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-42) This invention relates generally to supports and has particular reference to a glide for a chair or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a glide for assembly into the end of the tubular leg of a chair or the like in which the base portion is tiltable in relation to the tube-engaging portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a glide for an article of furniture or the like in which a cushionlike base retains means for engaging the leg of the article and permits limited tilting thereof in relation to the base.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious,

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation partly in section of a modificd form of glide embodying the features of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a glide which is adapted for assembly into the end of a tubular leg 12 of an article of furniture or the like.

The glide 10 is designed to provide a resilient engage- I ment between the furniture leg and the floor, and to accommodate a limited amount of tilting of the leg relative to the floor, and comprises generally a support portion, a tube-engaging portion, and means joining the support portion and the tube-engaging portion so that I they are tiltable in relation to each other.

In the illustrated embodiment the support portion comprises a base 14, a resilient cushion 16 formed of rubber or the like assembled with the base, and a support cap 18 disposed on the resilient cushion.

The base 14 is provided with an upwardly and inwardly curled periphery 20 which projects into a suitable peripheral recess 22 in the cushion, retaining it in assembly.

The cushion 16 is provided with an upwardly projecting medial portion 24 having a generally hemispherical upper surface 25, and an axial opening 26 extending therethrough with a concave enlarged portion 28 at the upper end, and an upwardly and outwardly extending conical recess 30 at the lower end.

The support cap 18 has an upwardly rounded hemispherical medial portion 32 seated on the surface 25 of the cushion, and a laterally extending flange 34 seated on a laterally extending portion of the cushion.

The tube-engaging portion comprises a tube end sup 2,857,616 P' itented Oct. 28, 1958 flange 42 at the lower end extending outwardly and up! wardly into the conical recess 30. The upper end of the post 40 is headed over, retaining the plate 38, the tube support plate 36, and the support cap 18 tightly assembled onto the resilient cushion 16.

The structure of the cushion 16 is such that it closely surrounds the post only at a portion between the upper conical portion 28 of the aperture and the recess 30. Hence, the post is resiliently held by the cushion 16 so that it can tilt in relation to the cushion and the base 14 about a point which is substantially the center of the hemispherical portion of the support cap 18 so that during such tilting the tube end support plate rides on the support cap in the manner of a ball and socket joint. The cushion accommodates such tilting by local flexing and-by the presence of the conical recess 30 to receive the flange 42.

The glide 10 is assembled with the tube 12 by simply driving it into the end so that the plate 38 engages the interior surface of the tube to retain the glide therein, and the end of the tube wall bears against the flange 37. Weight applied to the leg is thereby transmitted through the support cap directly-to the resilient cushion without affecting the ability of the support-engaging portion to tilt in relation to the base.

In some instances other types of devices may be used for engaging the interior or exterior surface of the tube wall. For example, in Fig. 5 there is illustrated a glide 50 similar to the glide 10 previously described, except that the means for engaging the interior wall of the tube is provided by a pair of resilient upwardly extending shouldered arms 52.

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in this device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A support for assembly into the end of a tubular legof an article to be supported, comprising a resilient cushion having a central aperture and a base assembled onto the lower side of said cushion, a bearing plate disposed on the upper side of the cushion and having .a generally hemispherical upper surface, a support member disposed on the bearing plate and having an integral upwardly extending generally tubular portion with a lower portion rounded downwardly to form a lower surface which is substantially a portion of a sphere conforming to the shape of the upper surface of the bearing plate, said support member also having an integral radial flange at its lower end for supporting the end of a tubular leg, a retaining plate retained on the upper end of the tubular portion and having laterally extending tongues for engagement with the interior surface of said tubular leg, and a retaining post extending downwardly from the upper endof the tubular member through the central aperture of the resilient cushion, said retaining post terminating in spaced relation to the base and' having an integral outwardly and upwardly inclined flange bearing against a lower surface of the resilient cushion and drawing the radial flange .on the tubular portion tightly against the the "bearing plate, the central aperture in the resilient rat the center of said hemispherical surfaces, whereby tilting of said retaining post by relative sliding movement of said hemispherical surfaces occurs about said medial portion as a center and is resisted by deformation of the adjacent portion of .theresilientcushion.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Crumb Oct. 26, 1909 Herold Dec. 15, 1931 Schacht Apr. 11, 1933 Becker June 2, 1953 Kramcsak Aug. 7, 1956 

